


Medication

by CodeMangaGirl



Series: Medication [1]
Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Caulscott - Freeform, F/M, Multi, Presfield, Warnings will be put on individual chapters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-07
Updated: 2018-01-01
Packaged: 2018-04-13 09:21:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 20,671
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4516458
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CodeMangaGirl/pseuds/CodeMangaGirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What would happen if Max reached out to the troubled boy she saw nearly murder her childhood friend in the bathroom? Would she be able to help him through the many problems he faced, or would she fall victim to a terrible trap controlled by someone else?</p><p>Caulscott AU where time travel and the apocalypse aren't a factor. I will try to stay close to the game's original storyline and keep everyone in character, but I may deviate for the sake of the relationship I am trying to write.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Please note, since I don't have everything mapped out yet and the game has not been completed that I chose not to use archive warnings. If there is a warning that applies to a specific chapter I will put it in these notes! Please enjoy~
> 
> Edit: I realized Max's eyes aren't brown... So I changed brown to blue. That is all! Hopefully I didn't mess anything else up!

Rain thrashed against the tops of the trees that protected me from harshest impact of the storm. It was hard to see with the strong winds whipping waves of water into my face. I tried to bring up my  
hands to shield my eyes, only resulting in my losing my balance and falling over. Suddenly, I felt something warm against my back. I turned around suddenly to see it was a buck, sitting behind where I had landed, as if to stop me from falling further down the slope I was positioned on. 

I blinked a few time, surprised that the animal was so close to me, considering deer’s general tendency to steer clear of humans. The buck's eyes were staring at me, cold and callous eyes, yet somewhere deep in them, I felt a sense of security. Suddenly the buck's focus changed from me to something ahead of us and he stood up, forcing me to shift my balance once more. I looked over to see a doe off in the distance. 

As if through some sort of soundless telepathy that only the two creatures knew, the buck moved to stand with the doe. I stood up to get a better look at them, thinking of how wonderful a photo this would make. If only I had my camera with me. Looking at the two, it was as if the storm around us was non-existent and world had gone completely still. The two looked so serene, as if, when together, nothing could harm them, not even the horrendous storm around us. 

It was in that moment of peace that I heard the crack of the tree bough, and the next thing I knew, I was on my back, warm liquid oozing from my head, and a person on top of me screaming out my name. 

\- 

My eyes snapped open to reveal the white linoleum tiles of the photograph classroom. I blinked a few times, trying to comprehend what had happened. It wasn't often that I fell asleep in a class, especially photography, considering it was my concentration of study. To think I traveled to Blackwell Academy all the way from my family in Seattle just to listen to the famous photographer Mark Jefferson talk about various photo techniques. Well, that's not entirely true. The prospect of a pretty large scholarship may have influenced my decision a bit as well. 

With the soft hum of Mr. Jefferson's voice as white noise, I looked at what I had on my desk in order to fully reorient myself to where I was. Before me was my notebook with a few scrawled note and doodles I must have taken before dozing off. I hoped that none of the pen had transferred from the paper onto my face during my little nap. Other than that there was my pencil case, journal, and my beloved camera. It was a gorgeous analog camera that I was utterly in love with. There's something about being able to hold a photo in your hands immediately after it was taken that I'm drawn to. Not to mention, the prospect of instant selfies is something that rather entertains me.

My thoughts turned away from my strange dream, and I picked up the camera to take a selfie. Unfortunately for me, I misjudged the loudness of my camera, and caught the attention of not only Mr. Jefferson, but also everyone else in the class. I suddenly felt extremely self-conscious about every little move I made as Mr. Jefferson took a few steps in my direction. 

"Ah, as we can see, Max here has just taken what we today call 'the selfie.' This art of taking photos of oneself, however, is not just some new trend thanks to social media. Well Max, now that you appear to be with us mentally, can you tell the class who was the first person to take what we call a 'selfie.'"

"Uh..." I felt my face flush as I looked at the other faces staring at me around the room. Then, Victoria Chase raised her hand at the speed of light, shooting a smug grin in my direction. I really didn't like her. Victoria was one of those girls who walked over other people and twisted things in order to get her way. It ended up hurting other people, and I couldn't stand for that. 

Mr. Jefferson gave me one last glance before focusing on the eager looking Victoria. "Do you perhaps know the answer, Miss Chase?" 

"The first selfie documented was taken by photo pioneer Robert Cornelius in 1839. He was able to use the slow process of taking photos back then to his advantage in order to take one of himself. Perhaps if Miss Caulfield had been paying more attention in class and spent less time sleeping, she would have known that," Victoria ended with an evil look of pleasure cast at me. 

"Yes, well, thank you for that Victoria-" Just then, as if to save me from anymore embarrassment the bell rang, signaling my freedom from the four cold walls of the classroom. Mr. Jefferson called out over the shuffle of everyone leaving, " Don't forget to submit your photos for the 'Everyday Heroes' contest before the deadline! I will be announcing the winner on Thursday night at the Vortex Club's 'End of the World Party'" He stopped by my desk as I was packing up my things, "I am especially interested in what you have to offer, Max. Though, I'm not sure selfies will qualify." 

"I hope I won't disappoint you then, sir," I said as I slung my bag over my shoulder. He smiled and walked back to his desk at the front of the room to a waiting Victoria. She was the type to suck up to teachers whenever possible. 

Glancing around the room before I left, I noticed that Kate Marsh was also still in the room. She looked rather sullen, so I decided to go up to her and ask what was wrong. "Hey, Kate!" I said with a smile on my face. "What's up? You look kinda down."

She looked up from twiddling the cross she always wore around her neck with a distant expression. "Oh hi, Max..." She said softly. It was rather obviously that her thoughts were elsewhere. "I'm... I'm fine. I'm just worried about my entry for the 'Everyday Heroes' contest is all." She forced a small smile on her face. "I'm sure whatever you submit will be amazing though!" Kate said more genuinely.

"Thanks. You're stuff is great though, so you shouldn't be too worried. I'll talk to you later, okay? Bye." I knew the contest wasn't the only thing weighing of Kate's mind. She usually wasn't too concerned with contests, and rather just took pictures because she loved to. I hoped everything was okay.

"Yeah, I'll talk to you later," Kate said before going back to twiddling her cross. I hoped she was okay. 

"So... Mr. Jefferson... About the 'Everyday Heroes' contest, I was wondering if we could take about my entry." I overheard Victoria's crooning as I past by to exit the room. Typical, I thought to myself. It was just like Victoria to try to cozy up with a teacher in order to get their favor. I rolled my eyes as I passed the two, simultaneously pulling out my headphones from my bag. 

As I opened the door to the classroom, I could already here the roar of students leaving their classes and heading to lockers. Soon enough I was drowning out the various conversations around me with the melodic tunes of the new indie group I had discovered last week. 

First thing was first; I wanted to stop by the bathroom. Even though I was thoroughly awake thanks to my humiliation in class, I still wanted to splash some cool water on my face. Plus, I had to check that no pen marks had made it onto my face during my little nap. I suppose I could always wait till I got back to the dorm, but my self-consciousness got the better of me, and I started towards the bathroom. It was pretty hard trying to avoid colliding with various people when literally no one around me was looking where they were going. 

When I finally got to the bathroom it was like the save point in a faced paced video game, calm and quiet. No one else was in the bathroom either, meaning I didn't have to listen to anyone else's mindless chatter as I took out my headphones. To my relief, as I looked in the mirror, I couldn't find any signs of ink marks on my face. It would have been pretty bad if, on top of being upped by Victoria in class, I had been displaying my scrawled notes on my face. Regardless, I welcomed the cool water on my face. I hadn't realized how flushed and warm it was till the liquid touched it. 

I stared at my wet face for a few moments before reaching for some paper towels to dry myself with. My blue eyes scanned the freckles speckled across my face as droplets of water that clung to my hair dripped onto them. I smiled slightly, thinking how in that moment nothing seemed to be weighing me down. Sure, I had plenty of things to do, but for just a moment, I didn't care about anything but those little droplets falling onto my face. If only it had lasted.

I heard shouting from outside the door to the bathroom, and instinctively went to hide in one of the stalls. Just as I got in, the door to the bathroom slammed open and a girl with blue hair and some pretty wicked tattoos stormed in. 

"Fuck you, Nathan! I ain't selling you shit!" 

Nathan? I thought to myself as I spied on the girl from the crack between the stall door and its adjoining wall. Did she mean Nathan Prescott? Shit, if what the rumors about him said were true, then it was no surprised that the kid was hooked on anything he could get. It must’ve been pretty easy for him to get it too. The Prescott family essentially owned most of Arcadia Bay, where Blackwell Academy was located. Hell, the family fucking owned the academy for that matter. 

Just then the door slammed open once more to reveal Nathan himself. His eyes looked crazy and his expression was one of anger and hatred, "No! You listen here, bitch! I know Frank gave you the stuff so just hand it the fuck over!" He was writhing with anger. I wondered to myself if this was the first time he had been denied something in his life. 

"I told you already! He didn't give me fucking anything! Just leave me the hell alone, you freak!" The girl with the blue hair was raising her arms up as if to show that she didn't have anything on her. Nathan didn't seem to take that response very well.

"Listen here, bitch! No one calls me a freak!" Just then, Nathan pulled a gun out of the jacket he always wore and pointed it at the girl. 

"Shit," I said under my breath and hurriedly opened the door to the stall I was hiding it. The metal separation between us hit Nathan, slamming him against the bathroom wall throwing him off balance right as he pulled the trigger. The bullet that was aimed for the girl ended up missing and hitting the fire alarm located in the bathroom, setting it off. What were the chances of that? 

In the moment it took for Nathan to regain his standing, the girl with the blue hair fled the scene, leaving me alone with him. "Caulfield? What the fuck?" He seemed even angrier than before, and yet, at the same time there was something in his eyes that said he was grateful his shot missed.

The fire alarm was shrilling and I couldn't think straight with everything that had just transpired before my eyes. The loud footsteps of heavy boots on tile floors was somewhere off in the distance. Nathan must have heard them over the alarm as well, because he put away his gun and grabbed my wrist firmly, dragging me out of the bathroom with him. "Shit, it's David, he can't catch us here," Nathan said under his breath as he dragged me out of the building. 

"Ow, let go!" I yelled at him as he continued to drag me away from the masses of people fleeing from the building. When it finally looked like no one was paying attention to where we were he let go of my wrist and faced me. I immediately held my wrist where his grip had been. "Hell, that hurt..."

"Look, Caulfield," Nathan was bending slightly so that his mean eyes were looking directly into mine. He was close enough I could smell his breath. "You saw nothing, or else. Got it?" 

Before I could even comprehend what he said, let alone give a response, he was gone.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the second chapter is out! I just wanted to say thank you so much for all the kudos and comments I got on the first one! They really keep me going when I'm writing. Also hopefully this chapter isn't too boring, I'm basically introducing a lot of minor characters this time...
> 
> Also if you want... check out my closet cosplay of Max: http://codemangagirl.tumblr.com/post/126292842352/i-love-all-kinds-of-styles-and-techniques-but-for

I stood still as I tried to wrap my head around what had just transpired. Nathan was arguing with the blue haired girl about drugs, that much I understood, but why the hell was he carrying a gun on campus? Was he that paranoid? About what? I didn't think drugs were the only thing he'd be carrying a gun because of. I shook my head at the thought. That guy was a messed up rich kid, what did I know about his life? What confused me even more was why he pulled me out of there when I was in a trance. It would have been easier to leave me to shoulder the blame. So why didn't he?

Just then, pulling me out of my deep thoughts, my phone vibrated in my pocket, signaling that I had a new text.

[Text] yo yo Maximus! You know that flash drive I let you borrow? well… I hate to ask for it back... but I have a physics test and I left some of my notes on it! stupid I know, anyway please get it to me when you can! I’ll be in the parking lot :)

I couldn't help but smile at Warren's text. It somehow gave me a sense of normalcy, and that's exactly what I needed considering the events that just transpired. Deciding to put off my thoughts on the bathroom incident, I started to make my way over to the dormitories.

Blackwell Academy, apart from its completely fucked up student population, actually had a rather scenic campus. Founded over a hundred years ago, the main building had more character to it than the average high school prison, making a rather pleasant background for photography. The fact that only seniors attended Blackwell also meant the campus wasn’t nearly as crowded as my old high school back in Seattle. Well, that and the fact that it was honestly located in the middle of nowhere. Unfortunately, even if that meant knowing who most people were, it also meant rumors spread twice as fast. I guess its kind of hard to sleep with your friend’s boyfriend when she lives in the next room over.

I looked up to see the statue of Blackwell’s founder blocking my view of the sun, casting eerie shadows on his cold, lifeless face. I wondered to myself if he ever foresaw the school becoming such playing grounds for some of the insane things that were going on here. As if some sick play by nature, a gust of wind hit right then, blowing up one of the many missing posters plastered everywhere around the school and landing right against the hand of the statue. The shot was way to good to pass up.

“Amazing isn’t it? How much a place can change over the years,” a voice came from behind, causing me to jump slightly enough for the person to notice. “Sorry there Max, I didn’t mean to startle you.” I turned around and was face to face with Ms. Grant, one of the science professors at the academy.

“Oh no, it’s fine. I was just… lost in my own thoughts I suppose,” I waved my hand slightly to express that it wasn’t that big of a deal. Really it wasn’t. It’s not like Nathan had changed his mind and come back to guarantee I didn’t talk.

Ms. Grant smiled, relieved that she hadn’t scared me too terribly. Her tight curls moved softly with the breeze, making me wish I could have taken a photo of that single moment in time. “That’s good. Anyways, Max, I was actually wondering if you’d be willing to sign this petition.”

“Petition? What’s is for?” I was curious as she showed me the clipboard with a single sheet of paper on it. Only a couple dozen people so far had signed it.

“That security guard, David Madsen, has some crazy idea to put security cameras all over campus. To think, all the heritage tied into this land, and he wants to turn it into some institutional prison. Children should be able to learn without having the fear of constantly being watched. Don’t you agree, Max?” Ms. Grant nodded her head slightly, waiting for me to answer.

I wondered to myself if security cameras would have stopped what happened in the bathroom. It was a tough question. On one hand, there was the possibility of stopping things like what happened earlier, but on the other, Ms. Grant was right, and David Madsen couldn’t just turn the school into some type of prison because he wanted to. The guy kinda creeped me out to be honest. He was always looking at everyone with this analyzing eye, like he was always watching you. That look alone made up my mind.

“No, I totally agree. We can’t just stand back while David Madsen turns this place into some kind of penitentiary. I’ll sign it,” I took the clipboard from Mr. Grant and scrawled my signature on the next empty line.

“Thank you so much, Max. I knew I could count on you,” Ms. Grant looked pleased with my decision to sign the paper. “I must be off then, this paper won’t sign itself!” With that, she waved a goodbye and went to find her next signature. I still had muddled thoughts over the idea, but I was glad I signed the petition.

As I continued my trek to where the dorms were located, I overheard a soft buzzing noise above my head. “Whoa, Max, watch out!” I could hear Brooke call from somewhere to my right. Hurriedly taking her advice, I sidestepped in her direction just in time to avoid being nearly hit in the head by some type of flying mechanic. Brooke sighed dismally, jogging over to me and picking up the now slightly damaged mechanic. “Sorry, Max… I guess it still has some kinks I need to test out with distance and controlling.” She pushed up her glasses as she looked at what damage the contraption had suffered.

“It’s fine… I mean I didn’t get hit. Hey, Brooke, what is that thing anyway? Some kind of drone?” In truth, I wasn’t fully over the fact I almost got a serious bruise from an airborne collision, but I knew it was just easier to make up quickly than hold grudges.

“Right, Max! It’s a HiFly Drone! I made it over the summer,” she smirked slightly before becoming more serious, "but the controlling still needs some work. I can’t have it falling on anyone. Hey, how about to make it up to you, I’ll let you test run it once I fix it up!”

My ears perked up a bit at the thought of controlling the thing. It may have nearly collided with me, but I had to admit, it was pretty cool. “That sounds great Brooke. I might just take you up on that offer. Anyways I better get going. Warren wants his flash drive back.”

Brooke’s eyes showed a glint of interest when I mentioned Warren. She might not want to admit it, but in just talking to her for a bit from time to time it was obvious she had a major crush on him. If only he wasn’t as blind to it. “Right, well I’ll talk to you later, Max!” I waved to her as she went off towards the school building, presumably to fix her drone in one of the tech labs.

I took a look around the rest of the courtyard in front of the school to see who else was hanging out that I knew. “That’s fucking dope, man!” I looked over to see Justin and a few of his friends skateboarding near the steps that led to the parking lot. Some of the tricks they were doing would make an epic photo, and I couldn’t help but walk over to where they were.

“Hey, Justin,” I said, giving him a small wave. “Think you could do one of those cool tricks for my camera.”

“Aw, Max, I’m not doing anything for you that easy! Name me a move and then I’ll do it. Kay?” Justin said with a devilish smirk. He was a nice guy, but he always wanted to get more people interested in skating, and would usually ask others questions on what they knew. Luckily, I was prepared.

“Easy, tre flip,” I smirked right back at him.

“Wow, Mad Max has learned since our last meeting. Okay, you’d best have your camera ready cause this one is just for you!” Justin stood up straight from where he was leaning and performed the move for me.

“Awesome shot! Thanks, Justin!” It was truly, a pretty epic action shot.

“Anytime, Max! Maybe next time you’ll do it!” Justin was forever the optimist on getting me to start skating.

“Maybe, who knows? Catch you later!” I waved him a goodbye right as one of his friends tried to do an intricate flip only to land on his back. I didn’t take a shot of it to spare him the embarrassment, though I really did want to.

Once again on my way to the dorms, I passed yet another familiar face. Daniel, from my photography class, was leaning against one of the large trees located outside of the school. He seemed to be dazing off into the distance, his pencil gently tapping against his sketchbook. “Hey Daniel,” I spoke softly as not to startle him.

He looked up at me with a sad expression that quickly changed to one of joy. “Oh, hey… Wait… actually, Max, you might be the answer!” I looked at him with a confused expression. “I had no idea what to draw and then you showed up! Can I sketch you, please? Promise I’ll only post it on my Tumblr if you say yes.”

I blushed slightly. “I don’t really think I’m that great of a subject, Daniel. Plus, I’m a bit in a hurry. I have to get Warren his flash drive back.”

“Don’t worry! It won’t take long! I just need your basic sketch and I’ll get the rest of the details off Facebook,” Daniel reassured me.

“Well, fine, but just this once.” I stood still and tried to give a sincere smile. Daniel furiously sketched away, and within five minutes he already had a pretty epic looking outline.

“Thanks, Max. Now I just need to stalk your Facebook a bit for some good reference photos of you,” Daniel was looking approvingly at the rough sketch before him. Personally I already thought it looked pretty detailed for such a short amount of time, but then again, I wasn’t the artist of the work.

“No problem, and, umm, if you really want, you can post it. You should totally tag me though. Anyways, I’ll see you later!” I smiled at him more genuinely than when I was posing. It’s always easier to do things when you aren’t watched. Or at least that’s how it usually is with me.

“Kay, Max!” He nodded to me before going back to his work.

Finally, after many stops along the way, I made it to the dorms. Despite being much younger, they were built in the same architectural style as the main school building, and had beautiful brick design. Unfortunately, thanks to just who funded their construction, the grand dorm building was named the Prescott Dormitory. It gave me shivers from time to time to think I lived in a building owned by such a power hungry family. Nathan’s family at that.

The dorm building itself had a nice section of grass and benches in front of it for students to hang out. There was also a pretty cool totem pole off to the side. Warren once told me it was called the Tobanga, but no one was quite sure why. I guess it’s just one of the many mysteries of Blackwell.

As I made my way down the walkway, I spotted Alyssa’s purple hair reflecting the sun from the corner of my eye. As I went up to say hi, however, jock Zach Riggins threw his football straight towards her. In a rush of adrenaline, I leaped forward and knocked the ball out of her path, yelling at Zach to watch it. Alyssa didn’t deserve to get hit.

“Whoa Max. You’re like a super hero or something,” Alyssa stood up from where she was sitting on a bench.

“Don’t mention it,” I shrugged. It was just the nice thing to do. “But maybe you should read somewhere else.”

“Yeah, thanks Max,” She said as she went over to the shade and protection of the Tobanga. I was glad I could do something helpful for her. Alyssa honestly got way more shit than she deserved.

I sighed as I walked forward a bit and realized just who was blocking the entrance to the dormitory, Victoria. If it had just been her, I might have been able to quickly sidestep her into the dorm, but unfortunately Victoria’s lackeys Courtney and Taylor were hanging around her too. _Shit_ , I thought to myself, unsure whether I should bother approaching them to get in or just wait it out. There had to be some way around them.

Just then, as if fate was working in my favor, a squirrel on the scaffolding above the dormitory’s entrance knocked over a can of paint resting from where the janitor, Samuel, must have left it as the first coat of paint on the building dried. The can landed far enough from Victoria and her gang to not hurt them, but the paint inside the metal container landed straight onto Victoria’s designer sweater. I had to bite my lip just to stop myself from laughing out loud. “Ah!” I heard her scream before sending Courtney and Taylor to go get her a new sweater from her room.

After composing myself I went over to where she was. “Hey Victoria,” I said gently.

“What do you want, Max? Here to make fun of me with that stupid camera of yours? Go fuck your selfie!” She was furious, but I knew better than to make fun of Victoria Chase, the best friend of Nathan Prescott. I did not need him on my ass for anymore than he already was.

“No, not at all, Victoria. Actually, I think your sense of style is really cool. I’m really sorry about what happened to your sweater,” I tried to put forth the most compassion for the girl who was notorious for bullying anyone who fell out of her fancy.

She looked at me with a slight confusion and softness in her eyes. “Wow, umm… thanks, Max. Uh… forget what I said about your selfies. They’re actually pretty okay.” Was Victoria Chase actually apologizing to me? Some things are almost too good to be true, but I let her continue. “I… It’s been a bad day,” she sighed.

“No, I totally understand. Hey, I like your work, too. I think you have a pretty good chance at winning the ‘Everyday Heroes’ project.”

“Thanks…” She said right as Courtney and Taylor came back out with a towel and a new sweater. Victoria waved me away and I walked into the dormitory thinking that I may have just witnessed a miracle sighting of Victoria Chase actually being nice to someone other than herself.

I was relieved to finally be in the quiet of my own room. I looked over to the teddy bear sitting on my bed. It gave me comfort, having been with me for most of my life. I trudged over to my desk, expecting to see the flash drive there where I left it, but instead was greeted by a sticky note on my laptop.

[Note] Hey Girl, I borrowed your drive so I can watch some flix while I study. If you need it back, just track me down in my room. XOXO D.

Dana must have heard about the flash drive from Warren. He was always pretty open with everyone. I sighed, another obstacle put in my way to returning the freaking thing. Before leaving my room to go track down Dana, I decided to water my plant, Lisa. I didn’t want her dying on my watch.

On the way to Dana’s room, I spied the whiteboard outside Kate’s. Someone had written, “Will bang for Jesus” on it. Disgusted at the thought someone could be so fucking mean to Kate, a practical angel, I wiped it away with my sleeve. Just then, I heard a loud banging coming from down the hall, accompanied by the yells of Juliet Watson.

“Open up you dumb whore! I know you fucking sexted Zach dammit!” The pounding continued and I jogged down there, grabbing Juliet’s arm just in time to stop her from hitting the door once more.

“Juliet! What’s wrong?” I gasped out.

“Fucking Dana sexted Zach! That’s what’s wrong! Now leave me the hell alone, Caulfield!” Juliet was furious. I had to find some way to stop this argument, especially since Juliet and Dana were pretty good friends.

“Juliet, who told you that?” I already had a pretty good idea in my head of who could be behind this sick joke.

Juliet let out a big huff of air, obviously exasperated by my questioning. “What do you care? It was Victoria, okay? Now will you please leave me alone?”

I rolled my eyes as I heard the name. I knew it. Victoria did this kind of shit to people for fun, and it was disgustingly cruel. “Do you actually believe her? Why don’t you ask Zach yourself about what happened?”

Juliet stopped short of banging on the door again. “Oh my God, Max! You’re so fucking right; this is Vic we’re talking about. Shit! Dana! I’m fucking sorry! I’ll be back okay?” Juliet yelled into the door before running down the hall and out of sight, presumably to confront Zach.

I heard the door crack open and Dana peeped her head out. “Max…” She said only above a whisper, “I, uh, heard what you said. Thanks.” She paused for a moment before opening the door wide enough for me to come in. “You’re probably are here for Warren’s flash, right? It’s in my computer over there.”

“No problem. I just, hated to see you two fighting,” I said, walking over to the computer. I ejected the flash drive but as I did I saw that the web browser was open to the front page of an abortion clinic. Dana must have realized that she left it up because she hurriedly closed the laptop and looked at me with pleading eyes.

“Max, please forget what you saw okay,” she was obviously shaken up.

I touched her shoulder gently. “I will, but Dana, if you ever need anything… I’m here.”

“Thanks again, Max…” Her eyes were distant. I gave her a small smile before leaving the room. She looked like she really just needed some time to herself, and I was honestly happy to oblige.

As I was walking away from the dormitories, I spotted Kate. I was concerned for her, and started walking over towards where she was standing, before I realized that she wasn't alone. David Madsen, Blackwell’s overseeing security guard was yelling at her. What the fuck? I quickly ran over to Kate, pushing away David’s accusatory finger. “Hey man, lay off!” David seemed surprised by my sudden intervention, but said nothing and just stormed angrily away. I turned around to see Kate wiping away a few tears.

“Thanks, Max. I…” She began over a few hiccups.

“Don't worry about it,” I cut her off. It was obviously hard for her to speak, so I just placed a hand on her shoulder for support. “Hey, if that David guy ever messes with you again. Just call me and I’ll be there before you know it.”

Kate looked up from the ground and gave me a weak smile that didn’t reach her pained eyes. It pulled at my heartstrings. I hated to leave her like this, but I really had to get back to Warren.

So much had happened today, and it was only five o’clock.

-

Warren was leaning against a car I hadn’t seen before when I got to the parking lot. “Hey, Max!” He said, holding both his arms open in anticipation of a hug. Without thinking about his actions, I handed the flash drive to him, causing him to place one of his hands behind his head in embarrassment.

“Is this your car?” I tried to cover up the fact I had just instinctively rejected him with the question.

“Yup, just got it. 1978. Pretty vintage right?” Warren seemed pretty proud with himself. I had to remind myself that he was actually a bit younger than me and had probably just gotten his license.

“Awesome, we should take it out for a ride sometime,” I said happily. Warren being a fun-loving dork was something I could always rely on.

Warren seemed elated with my response and had a wide smile on his face. “Yeah, like the drive in or something.” Now he was over doing it a bit. “Anyways, like anything on the flash?”

“Right!” I had forgotten I just gave it back to him. “I must say. I was rather surprised. You have some old movies on there. I honestly expected it to be like 90s anime or something.”

“Haha, what do you take me for, Max?” Warren said with a shaky laugh. I gave him a knowing look. “Yeah… That’s on the other flash…”

I giggled a bit at his response. “Anyways, I only got to watch two things. Umm… The 1920s _Phantom of the Opera_ and what was the other one… something about going to the moon? It was pretty short compared to _Phantom_.”

“ _A Trip to the Moon_! Cinematic gold. It’s a classic for any film lover out there,” Warren seemed to be completely in his zone talking about the old movies. Just as he was about to delve into the topic further, however, he furrowed his brow and his eyes got smaller. “Hey, Max, how long has Nathan Prescott been staring at you from over there?”

“Huh?” I turned to see that he was across the parking lot, leaning against a pole, and glaring at me with two, cold eyes. “Shit, what does he want?” I was about to tell Warren not to worry about someone as weird as Nathan, but then he started making his way towards us.

_Shit…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! You made it through all the various character introductions! Don't worry, Nate will be more involved in the next chapter~ Thank you for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hahaha... So It's been months since I last updated. I'm sorry! This semester has been pretty busy and I can already tell that the next one is probably going to be even worse. I'm really sorry for being so slow at updating this. I'm going to try to get 1 or 2 more chapters done during winter break and then whatever I can manage if any next semester. I really hope you understand and stay with the story. Thank you so much for waiting this long!
> 
> TW: Recreational drug use 
> 
> PS: Many thanks to barisaxiginger for reading all these chapters before I post them and catching any mistakes I make!

Nathan practically ran over to where Warren and I stood, giving me no time to attempt hiding from his death glare. Fuck. I glanced nervously at Warren and the focused my attention back to Nathan, praying to God he hadn't changed his mind about what happened in the bathroom. From the look on Warren's face, I could tell that he remained absolutely baffled as to why Nathan, top dog of Blackwell, would be approaching us. 

"Max Caulfield," Nathan spat out my name between gritted teeth. He practically simmered with anger. 

"What do you want, Nathan?" I responded tentatively, not wanting to anger him even more. My hands began to sweat from the tension rising between us. 

Nathan's eyes flashed with sudden surprise at the sound of his name being spoken, but quickly turned back to their original glare. "We need to talk... Now."

I looked to Warren and saw the utter confusion plastered over his face. I felt sorry for dragging him into this whole mess. As calmly as I could, I turned back to Nathan and spoke with irritation in my voice, "Can't it wait? I'm kind of in the middle of something if you couldn't tell.” I knew it was wrong to be so snippy, but the words escaped my mouth faster than I could think to stop myself.

"Talking to your boyfriend, huh? Well sorry, Hun, but we have shit to do." He grabbed my arm, nails digging into the skin, and began to drag me towards the other end of the parking lot.

"Hey, dude! Can't you see she doesn't wanna go?" Warren shoved Nathan off of me, causing his nails to scrape against my skin. I winced at the pain, clutching my arm with my other hand.

Nathan retaliated with a swift punch to Warren's gut, causing him to topple over, and giving Nathan the opportunity to kick him to the ground. Just as I was about to pull the two apart, an engine roared behind me.

"Max?" A familiar voice called out from the driver’s side of a battered pickup. I turned suddenly and saw the same bright blue hair from the bathroom, except something was strangely familiar about the face that came with it.

"Chloe?" I gasped. How did I not recognize her earlier? My childhood best friend from before my family moved to Seattle was the girl Nathan nearly shot to death in the bathroom. What the fuck kind of cliché irony is that? 

"Hurry up and get away from that creep!" She leaned over and opened the passenger door of the pickup, hurriedly gesturing for me to get in.

I looked over worriedly at Warren, who Nathan continued to beat to a pulp. He struggled from under Nathan and yelled out, "Go, Max. I got this!" Promptly after, he got a strong punch in the eye from Nathan.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw David Madsen quickly making his way to the scene of the fight. Knowing that Warren would be okay in a matter of moments, I gave him a silent thank you, and hopped into the truck. 

-

Chloe, my best friend I left behind in Arcadia Bay, sat beside me in her pickup. It felt like someone had placed me in a strange dream. How else would I have been able to save Chloe? Coincidences like that just didn’t happen in real life. 

Chloe gazed out the window, towards the ocean's gorgeous sunset. "Damn, Max. Didn't think I'd be seeing you again like this. How long has it been? Feels like forever since I last saw your face." She turned to me with a reminiscing look in her eye. 

"Holy shit... Chloe, today has been..." I was lost for words. How could I sum up everything that just happened in a single word? Wild, scary, insane, weird, fucked up. None of them seemed to fit perfectly. 

"Crazy? I saw you in the bathroom. Right before I, well, split. Can't have step-führer seeing me on campus after I got kicked out."

"Step-führer? You mean David? No way!" Joyce wouldn't have married someone as creepy as David Madsen, or at least I thought she wouldn't. So much changed in those years I was gone. 

"Yup. Fuckhead is screwing my mom now. Woo, what a happy family. Thinks he can control me, too. I can't wait to get out of this shithole. Once I find Rachel, I'm leaving Arcadia Bay and never looking back," she spat the words out with hatred. I couldn't blame her. From what I'd seen on campus, David seemed like a total dick. 

“Rachel…” I whispered the name softly. I vaguely remembered seeing posters for a girl named that around the school.

“Yeah, Rachel Amber. Max, you have to meet her! She’s amazing,” Chloe’s voice trailed off. I felt a slight tugging in my heart. Rachel, whoever she was, had replaced me.

We pulled into the driveway of Chloe's house, a bit more rundown looking than the last time I had been there, just like the rest of Arcadia Bay. It felt like an eerie dread covered the entire town in my absence. We quickly got out of the truck and made our way into the house, passing a photo board on the way. I immediately spotted a photo Chloe's father, William, took of us one Halloween. Our smiles looked almost too innocent. 

The steps creaked under my weight as I made my way to Chloe's room, drastically different from the place I remembered staying up late in, giggling about whatever stupid prank Chloe pulled on the teacher earlier that day. Now, the room was completely punk, which complemented Chloe's style perfectly, just not... The Chloe I knew. I felt out of touch with everything. The world moved on while I held on tightly to my memories. 

Chloe plopped down on her bed, pulling out a joint from her pocket and lighting it in one swift motion. "Hey, Max! Care to put on some music while I medicate real quick?" 

I nodded and moved over to her stereo system, spotting the vintage Polaroid on the shelf below it. The camera had belonged to William. I shook the sad memories from my mind and quickly found a cd marked “party mix.” The music, despite its thumping bass and quick beats, was soothing compared to the brutal storm or earlier.

"Oh yeah! Come and dance with me, Max!" Chloe put out her joint and stood up on the bed, starting to move her hips rhythmically to the noise. 

I couldn't help but giggle. "Ready for the mosh pit, shaka brah!" 

Chloe almost did a double take with laughter. "Max Caulfield," she said between gasps for air, "you are seriously hipster! We need to work on your… um… lingo?" She pulled me up onto the bed with her and we began to move together in time with the beat. Or at least we did until the front door cold be heard slamming shut. 

"Shit! It's David. Max, this way," Chloe shouted at me, opening up her window and jumping out onto the roof. 

David's heavy boots could be heard clashing against the wooden stairs. "Chloe!" He called out, voice filled with irritation and annoyance. "What did I say about that damned music? You better not be smoking that fucking weed again!" 

Chloe tugged on my sleeve. "Jump!"

I closed my eyes. For what felt like an eternity, I was weightless. 

The concrete hit me hard, scrapping against my arms where I had rolled up the sleeves of my hoodie. Chloe grabbed my arm and pulled me off the ground before I could respond to the pain, leading me towards her pickup. The engine stalled; pounding footsteps raced down the steps inside the house. 

I saw David lurching open the front door right as Chloe got the engine to finally start and zipped out of the driveway, leaving skid marks on the fading asphalt. 

-

I never thought I'd be so happy to get back to my dorm room. All I wanted to do was take a long shower in peace and go to sleep. I shut the door behind me, locking it so I could change into my bathrobe, and turned towards my closet, moving my hand forward to grab my caddy. 

My arm froze. Standing in the corner next to my closet was a very pissed looking Nathan Prescott. 

He gave me a condescending smirk before grabbing my wrist and pulling me to the couch. "Locking yourself in with the criminal I see. Good. I’d like to have a private chat with you, Max Caulfield."


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An update that didn't take months to come out! I'm going to try to update once more before I go into the vast pit of non-updating known as college. I thank all of you for sticking with this fic for so long and for all the lovely comments you've left. I really like reading them and hearing your feedback on the story. I hope you enjoy this chapter! We are finally heading to day 2 of the game and breaking away from the original story-line!
> 
> TW: Mention of former animal abuse.

My blood froze and the world around me began to move in slow motion: frame-by-frame. The grip of his cold hand on my arm, the faint smell of smoke and weed clinging to his clothing, the cologne he wore to cover it up, the red of his jacket brushing against my hand, how soft it felt compared to his general harsh exterior. Thought after thought crashed into my brain, causing it to start aching intensely. The room began to spin, slow at first, rotating over and over before my eyes. 

What did Nathan want? Why was he here? Would he hurt me? Could I make a quick escape? Would he notice if I pulled out my phone? Why was he doing this? Why was this happening to me? What did I do? 

I could feel tears stinging my eyes as the room spun faster and faster until it became of blur of colors. Blue, red, grey... Black.

-

Warmth cradled me in a bed of soft grass that tickled against my skin. Hazy, morning light and a gentle breeze beckoned me to open my eyes from their slumber. Yellow light, the color of butter, enveloped me in its embrace. 

Confused, I stood up slowly, and took in my surroundings. A field of wild grass, as tall as my waist, stretched before me, seemingly forever. There, standing calmly in the field and gazing at me with soft eyes was a doe. No, not just any doe. I was certain that this was the same doe from the dream I had in Jefferson's class. 

A crunch of leaves drew my attention away from the doe and made me spin around to look for its source. About fifty yards away was the end of the grass field and the entrance to a huge forest, dark and overbearing, with trees that blocked out any sun from breaking through their large leaves. It scared me. Standing right at the entrance to the forestry was the buck from earlier. It stared at me coldly as before.

A gentle nudge of warmth pressed against my back. The doe wanted me to go towards him. I started slowly, placing one foot in front of me. The doe moved to stand beside me, almost as if she was supporting me. I moved forward one step, then another, a few more, until I was running. 

I nearly crashed into the buck, who stood still the entire time. The doe maintained her steady pace and soon took her place once more at my side. I was enchanted by the buck's horns. They were etched with beautiful designs, swirling off into gorgeous twirls of lighter brown. It took me a few minutes of gazing at them to realize that someone had done this to the buck, hurt him senselessly for the sake of the carvings. I felt bad for him.

His eyes softened the longer he looked at me and his head moved ever so slightly to nuzzle against one of my arms. I looked down at it, and saw that it was dripping with water droplets. I glanced to see that my other arm reflected its twin. When I looked up, the doe and buck were gone, the forest and meadow replaced by ash and smoke, suffocating me. I looked down at my arms once more: the water turned to blood. 

-

I woke up from the nightmare with a start, sitting straight up in my bed. My bed... Suddenly I remembered the events from earlier, and looked crazily around my room. Sure enough, Nathan was there, except he was asleep sitting up on my couch, his arms crossed at his chest and his head hanging down slightly. Did he... Put me to bed? I felt even more confused than I was earlier when I first found him in the room. 

I looked down at my arms, where they were gushing crimson in my dream, but was met with white gauze and medical tape wrapping up where I had scraped them outside of Chloe's house. Did Nathan do this? It looked so neat, as if done by hands that were used to such bandaging. 

I swung my legs over the bed, and tentatively made my way to where he slept. He looked calm, almost pleasant apart from his furrowed brow. I wondered to myself if he was having a nightmare. As if in answer to my questioning mind, his face contorted into one of pain and his breathing became more jagged. Before I knew what was happening, Nathan had uncrossed his arms and was clutching my arm tightly, his nails digging into the gauze wrapped around them, like his life depended on it. His body began to shiver with fear.

"Nathan," I whispered, shaking his body a little in an attempt to wake him. He mumbled something incoherent under his breath and his grip tightened. "Nathan!" I repeated more forcefully and he jumped awake as if someone had shot off a gun. 

"Rachel!" He screamed, standing up from the couch, dragging me with him by the firm clutch he had on my arm. The bandaging on it got displaced and began to unravel, revealing the marks I gained from jumping off a roof. 

I winced at the revival of the pain and looked up at Nathan. For a few moments, his eyes scanned the room crazily, as if looking for something, no, someone. Then, as suddenly as it happened, he released my arm and fell back onto the couch, muttering her name again: Rachel. After about a minute he seemed to register that I was there. 

"Shit..." He looked at me with a vast array of emotions I could not decider. We held each other's gaze for a moment before he got up again and made his way to my closet, grabbed the first aid kit my mother insisted I bring to Blackwell, and returned to kneel beside me. He silently began to unwrap my bandages, clean my wounds, and rewrap them.

I dared not say anything, worried that he may go into a fit like before, and instead focused my attention on his hands as he worked. They were thin and bony. His knuckles protruded, making his fingers look even longer than they were. They were cold against my arm. It was somehow, calming. My mind was a storm of questions, and yet something about the moment was peaceful. I felt tranquil with this guy who nearly murdered someone earlier that day, and I had no idea why. 

When he finished tending to my wounds, he got up, returned the medical kit to my closet, and began to open my door. I was still staring at the ground were he had been sitting just a few moments before. "Fuck," I heard Nathan mutter under his breath, and turned around on the floor to face him. He was staring out the window, the night’s darkness illuminated only by the few lampposts outside. Then they lowered to my plant, Lisa. He seemed intently focused on her for some reason, his brow furrowed. "Don't tell anyone about this Caulfield, anyone! If you do... You will surely regret it. I'll find out, and I swear to God-" he stopped himself short of whatever he was going to say, his piercing eyes, were now on my face, searching. He took in a sharp breath and muttered, "Don't water that thing too much unless you wanna kill it, Caulfield." 

The door slammed shut behind him before I could even begin to register what he meant by that. I stood up and made my way to the door, locking it for the first time since I got to Blackwell. As I crawled into bed, I glanced over at my couch were moments ago he sat. My brain churned, trying to figure out the answers to questions I couldn't even form. I stared at the ceiling for what felt like hours. Only one solid question kept dancing around in my mind.

Who exactly was Nathan Prescott?


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Thank you so much for sticking with this fic this long. I know updates are slow and it means a lot to me that you wait for them chapter after chapter. I'm really sorry for the lack of updates. Hopefully after this semester ends I'll be able to write more and really get the story going! For now please enjoy this chapter!

My head pounded, threatening to rip open. The persistent beeping of my alarm just added to the pain. I rolled over, pulling a pillow over my head, and nearly falling off the bed in the process. Jolted by the sensation of falling, I sat up and swung my feet over the side of the bed. Another day had already begun. 

Groggily, I turned off my alarm and made my way to the closet. I was determined to take a shower before Nathan Prescott or anyone else got in my way. My thoughts drifted to Nathan. There remained no doubt in my mind that the guy knew something. I just wasn’t sure what, or even about what. I tried to avoid the questions that immediately bombarded me. It was way too early for this shit. I grabbed a bottle of ibuprofen from the top shelf of the closet and quickly chased two small pills down with a gulp of water. 

Just before I walked out the door, I remembered the bandages on my arms. I’d have to take those off before showering. People would begin to question things if I suddenly had wounded arms. I sat back down and slowly unraveled them, my thoughts spilling to the floor with them.

Making my way to the bathroom, shower caddy in hand, I spotted Alyssa looking at one of the many missing posters that were plastered all over campus. “Hey, Alyssa. Morning,” I spoke barely above a whisper, my body still not fully functioning. 

She turned to face me just in time to avoid a toilet paper roll being thrown right for where the back of her head was just a moment before. “Hey- Holy shit, Max! You saved me again. Are you a psychic or something?”

“Heh. I highly doubt that. But if my abilities do suddenly show up I’ll be sure to tell you what’s on the Math test next week.” Being a psychic would make the shit I was dealing with a hell of a lot easier. Or perhaps a time traveler. Now that is a power I could really get used to. 

As I opened the door to the bathroom soft sobs greeted me. Kate was leaning over the bathroom sink, wiping away the tears before I got too close. I decided to be gentle with her. “Hey, Kate. How’re you doing?”

She turned slowly, still rubbing at her eyes. There were puffy and pink; it looked like she hadn’t slept in days. “Hey… Uhh… Max? Thanks for talking to me after class yesterday. I really needed that. Specially since…” She trailed off and stared at the ground. 

“Anytime. That’s what friends are for. But, Kate,” I didn’t want to pry, but my curiosity got the better of me. “Since what?”

She poked at he grimy tiles with her toe. “It’s nothing really big. Just…” It sounded like she was holding back more sobs. 

“You don’t have to tell me. It’s fine. I just want you to know I’m here for you. Okay?” I gave her a small smile as she looked up at my face.

The smile she returned was weak, but it was there. “Thanks, Max. Hey, do you still have my copy of The October Country? I need it to take some notes for class. I was kinda in a daze when Mr. Vonnegut was lecturing.”

I suddenly remembered the book lying on my desk. “Oh yeah! It’s great. I never knew Bradbury was such a poet. I’ll drop it by later this morning.” 

“Thanks, Max.” She turned back to the mirror and grabbed the toothbrush sitting on the edge of the sink. I looked at her for a few more moments before heading into a shower stall. What had she wanted to say?

The hot water felt soothing against my back, and yet it stung the remaining scratches on my arms. My mind drifted. How could something necessary for living also hurt you? Water could keep you alive, or it could drown you. It could cleanse your body, or it could burn you. The bathroom door opened with a clang, pulling my attention away from my mini existential crisis.

“Hey, Kate. What’s up?” Victoria’s voice echoed off the walls of the room. 

“School.” Kate’s response could barely be heard over the water rushing from the showerhead. 

I moved the curtain of the shower stall ever so slightly to see what was happening. Victoria and Taylor surrounded Kate, blocking any way for the poor girl to escape their evil harassment. 

“That’s it? That video of you clubbing didn’t look like homework to me. I’m sure all those guys would be willing to get another tutoring session though.” Taylor’s words were harsh. 

Kate gave a hesitant look at Victoria. “That wasn’t me. I…”

“Don’t be shy. I think its awesome you set a tongue record on video-“ Vitoria barely got the words out before Kate made a mad rush for the door. “Oh boo hoo. I’m sorry you’re such a viral slut.” She turned to Taylor. “I’m sure she liked it. Probably the first time she’s even seen a dick outside of religious pics. Nathan hooked her up good, and you know he has the real shit.”

Nathan? Video? Shit, so that’s why Kate was acting so strange. What the hell did Nathan do to her? And why did Victoria and her stupid clique videotape it? 

I stepped away from the shower curtain. I did not want them catching me now. I could just imagine what they would do with a photo of me rushing naked to my room. I let out a sigh when I heard the bathroom door clang shut again. They were finally gone. 

I finished my shower and threw my pajamas back on. Taking my caddy over to the sink, I began to brush my teeth. Written in red marker over the mirror was the website address to Kate’s video. I spit out my toothpaste and rubbed the address away with the back of my hand. If I could stop even just one person from watching that video, I’ve done something good. 

I left the bathroom and went back to my own room, filled with cheerful morning light. Despite the sun’s ray, everything felt wrong about today. I could already tell it was not going to be a good one. I hurriedly threw on a shirt and some jeans and then made my way to pick up Kate’s book from my desk. I glanced at Lisa in the corner. Nathan’s words echoed in my mind. "Don't water that thing too much unless you wanna kill it, Caulfield." What did Nathan know about Botany? Regardless, I let Lisa be and made a mental note to look up how much water her plant species usually required. That all settled, I made my way across the hall to Kate’s room.

The whiteboard outside Kate’s door displayed the message “Will Bang for Jesus.” It must have been Victoria’s doing. I erased it quickly, replacing it with a happy face, and knocked lightly on the door. 

“Kate, you in there?” I tried to make my voice sound as gentle as possible. 

A distant voice could be heard from within. “Yes, I’m here. Come in Max.”

Kate’s room was dark compared to its normal cheerfulness, her blinds were drawn shut and the lights shut off. A soft rattling made by her rabbit in the corner was the only sound in the room. Kate was hunched over her desk, looking absolutely miserable. Her tablet lit up suddenly, providing a little light, but I instantly saw that it was an email notification from her mother. It appeared even her parents wouldn’t support her through this mess. 

“Hey, Kate. I brought your book for you.” I lightly rested my hand on her shoulder and set the book down in front of her. She was shaking. 

“Thanks…” Kate’s responded softly. I stood there for a minute, wondering if she was going to say anything else. Thinking she wanted to be alone, I started for the door. “Max,” she called after me. “About what I was going to say in the bathroom. It’s just that… David Madsen was harassing me yesterday, and, well, it really got to me. Stupid… I’m sorry.”

I was shocked. What the hell was Chloe’s step-douche doing butting into Kate’s business? “Oh no, Kate. That’s no reason to be sorry. And it’s not stupid. He shouldn’t have harassed you. That’s so no right. Actually I’m pretty sure its illegal. If he ever tries to do that again, please tell me. Okay?” 

She looked up at me. “Okay. Thank you, Max. You’re really a great friend.”

“Anytime,” I said before giving her a warm smile and leaving the room. Questions about the video Victoria mentioned were burning in my skull, but I couldn’t just ask Kate about it now. She probably just wanted to forget the whole thing ever happened. 

After closing Kate’s door gently behind me my phone buzzed. 

Text: Due to an incident in the girl’s restroom yesterday, all classes are canceled for the day. School buildings will still be open for individual study. 

I sighed. Leave it to Blackwell to tell me I didn’t have to bother getting up so early until after I was dressed. Just as I was about to put my phone back in my bag, it started buzzing again with a text message.

Text: We need to talk Come to my room now -Nate

Fuck.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the lack of updates! I've been busy with work and con crunch and honestly I haven't been really motivated to write recently. Hopefully I can get the next chapter out quicker than this one. Please forgive me and continue reading! I hope you enjoy!

An unwelcoming aura emanated from the closed door, telling me not to take even a step further. What did I do in a past life to deserve this fate? I didn't want to be enrolled in the same school as Nathan Prescott let alone share his breathing air in the place he sleeps. Did he even sleep? Maybe he was like some weird demon that gained power through the torment of the innocent. The worries I had about him earlier faded away as a sense of paranoia and fear washed over me. I knew what Nathan was capable of on both sides of the extremes: both attempted assault and nurturing someone back to health, but at that moment, the almost killer was the image of him in my head. To say the least, it was not very welcoming. 

I hesitated before knocking softly on the door. The whiteboard next to it read "Fuck Off!!!" If only it were meant for me. I would gladly have left in an instant. I shook my head. Something... Something put me in the bathroom that day, and it wasn't just my legs. It was like I was the main character of some video game being placed in the right time at the right place so that the plot could advance. Only this game must have some terrible glitch if it chose me as its main character. The thought of it was ridiculous, of course. Maybe I was becoming as narcissistic as Victoria. Regardless, I knew I must have been led to Nathan for a reason... I think. If some divine creator does exist, they sure have a funny way of making me meet new people. Honestly, I'd chose a coffee date over attempted homicide any day. 

Deep breaths. One. Two. Three! I went to knock on the door right as it opened revealing a rather ticked off looking Victoria. 

"The fuck are you doing here, Max? Nathan, is this your idea of a joke or something? Sending over the hipster bitch to mess with?" 

A wave of warm air and the scent of sweat emitted from the room. My eyes widened as I realized what they were just doing. This seemed to amuse Victoria. 

"Hahaha. Aww. The poor baby doesn't know that we fuck! Come in and maybe we'll-"

"Vic, would you just fucking leave?" Nathan appeared behind her in the doorway, only wearing pajama pants, leaving his pale chest exposed. He pushed her rather roughly and grabbed my arm, pulling me to where she was just standing. "Thanks for your time, but I think I'll play with someone who lasts more than a few minutes," he spat rudely at her stunned face, giving a fake bow before promptly slamming the door. He locked it before she could attempt to barge back it. For someone who I considered to be his friend, he was pretty fucking rude to her. 

"Nate?!? What the fuck?!? This isn't funny!!!" We stood there, listening to her pound and kick on the door for a minute. "Screw you! This is the last time I put up with your shit!" We could hear her footsteps as she stomped down the hallway. 

Nathan loosened his grip on my arm and muttered something under his breath. I turned slowly to look at him. My eyes met his bare chest. He was surprisingly thin. I always supposed that he was more muscular under his jacket but instead saw that he was pale and lanky. Almost scarily so. My eyes drifted up his body to his face were I saw that he was staring straight at me with a smug look. Unwanted heat rose to my cheeks. 

"Enjoying the view, Caulfield? I wasn't serious about wanting to play with you, you know. Just needed Vic to go." He mocked at me with a small smirk on his face. 

"No!" I blurted it out too quickly. This was not going well. "What did you want from me, Nathan?" I could feel the heat of the room getting to me. It was too hot. I had to get out of here as soon as I could before the walls closed in on me. 

His face fell to a frown. He turned from me and went over to his closet, taking an undershirt out of the dresser that was crammed into the closet. I looked around the room. 

It was dark with only a little light seeping in through the window blinds. A soft hum of an overhead projector created a surprisingly calming white noise. That alone was probably the cause of most of the heat in the room. A large queen bed took up most of the space and a black couch sat opposite it, just under where the projection hit, playing a slideshow of some black and white shots. Nathan had an extensive DVD collection lining the far wall of his room with scattered works from artists that I could only assume inspired him. On the opposing wall was a blown up poster of a young woman in heavy bondage - something I assumed also inspired his work. 

Nathan cleared his throat behind me as I was gawking in awe at the camera that laid casually on the second desk crammed in a corner of the room by the door. It must have cost a fortune for the base model alone. I took a deep breath and turned to face him, thankful for the fact he had put on a proper shirt. His face was a bit close for my comfort, causing me to take an instinctive step back. He seemed almost hurt by this, as a flash of painful understanding gleamed in his eyes. 

I swallowed. "What did you want, Nathan?"

The look in his eyes turned hard. "I need a guarantee."

I was confused. What did he mean? A guarantee for what? I just stared at him with a dumbfounded expression. "Huh?" 

He rolled his eyes at me. "A guarantee that you won't talk, Caulfield." 

"You can't just take my word for it?" I stated bluntly. I immediately regretted it as the fear that he might blow up in anger sank in. 

He paused for a moment, surprisingly keeping a level-head. "No," he whispered in response. His face softened a bit and he looked contemplative. "I can't take your word for it, but I don't know how to stop you from talking if you wanted to. I could threaten you, but somehow I don't think that'll work." 

I stared at him in astonishment. It was as if his walls had come down and the real Nathan, the one he hid behind all the anger and drugs, was speaking to me. There was a glimmer of hope, a hope that I could somehow bring out this Nathan and throw away the facade that he put on. It sounds stupid to talk about, but it was as if some divine force was telling me that this was my only chance and I had to take it.

I took a step forward, closing the distance between us. Looking directly into his eyes I said the words that would lead me down a strange spiral of strange events with one of the most powerful people in Arcadia Bay. 

"You can trust me because I want to help you."


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Yet again I am sorry for never updating! I'm a terrible person! OTL  
> PS: BariSaxiGinger is best editor.

“Heh.” Nathan's laughter came as a surprise. I hadn't thought anything I said was particularly funny, and yet here he was... Smiling. An actual smile. It was… warm… kind almost. Two adjectives I didn't think I'd ever use to describe Nathan Prescott. 

"Caulfield, you really are a strange girl, you know? What exactly are you helping me with?" He wiped his eye and then looked up at me, the smile still on his face. 

I froze. I hadn't really planned out what I would say to him. I hadn't planned on any of this. "Uhh... I don't know. But... I know something is wrong and I want to help you with it." I tried to give him my sincerest look. "I know this sounds stupid, but I don't think you’re as bad as you make everyone think you are. I mean... Shit... What am I even saying?" 

His face turned solemn. "Get out," he said under his breath. "I don't need your help." 

"No." Dammit. What the fuck was I doing? He had just given me my chance to escape from this situation and instead I stood my ground.

He looked genuinely confused. "What?" 

I rambled, "You heard what I said. I've made up my mind, Nathan. I'm going to help you. I don't know how. I don't know why. Shit, I know you don't even want my help but... I have to." 

“Max, you’re… weird.” He took in a deep breath and walked past me to the desk crammed in the corner by the door. "Coffee?" 

"What?" I turned around to look at him as he fiddled with a coffee pot in the corner. 

"Jeez, Caulfield. I am speaking English right? Do you want coffee? It's a simple question. If I can’t make you leave I might as well not be a total dick." He sounded slightly irritated, but not in a malicious way. 

"Umm... Sure?" I didn't really drink coffee, and was more than a little wary about accepting any form of liquid from Nathan, but I also didn't want to accidentally set him off by saying the wrong thing. 

A silence fell between us as he pulled out two mugs from one of the desk drawers. I wasn't sure whether I should sit on the couch or not; so I just stood awkwardly in the middle of the room staring at his hands. His fingers were long and thin. The smell of fresh coffee with a hint of hazelnut filled the air. After a few minutes he handed me a mug and gestured for me to sit. He leaned on the edge of the bed directly across from me as I stared at the floor. 

"Well... This is... Awkward." He took a sip of the coffee and I felt obligated to do the same. It tasted stronger than what I was used to, but not unpleasant. There was a hint of sweetness to it that I wasn’t expecting. 

"Yeah." I glanced up to see him looking at the few stray beams of light that came through the window blinds. I glanced over and saw there was a picture of him as a child with his father on the desk. I couldn't help but think that someone beyond saving wouldn't keep that around. No, someone like the Nathan I knew wouldn’t be sitting across from me casually drinking coffee. His mood had changed so quickly it was almost as if I was talking to a different person.

"What exactly makes you think you can help me?" His eyes were sad when they looked at me. I recalled it was the same expression he had when left my room the night before. 

I took a deep breath. "You know, I honestly don’t know. I just know, that you're not as bad as everyone thinks you are. And... And that damn gloomy expression you keep giving me. That has to mean something. Like... Like you want help, you just don't know how to ask for it, or maybe you've tried and failed. Or hell, maybe I’m wrong. Maybe you really don't need help, but then you wouldn't have let me stay would you?" 

He raised an eyebrow. "No, I guess I wouldn't have. Fine, I guess you caught me. Something is really fucked up at this school, but what’s new." 

"I’ve got time. I'll listen." 

He sighed. "Not… here. I… need time. Tomorrow. Meet me at the Two Whales after classes. This too is too stuffy anyway. Plus, I need time to think. To make sure he- To make sure I really wanna open up my life story to some damn hipster... I mean. Shit. Sorry." 

I let his comment about me slide. This was Nathan I was talking to. I thought for a moment, and decided to take a chance. "I need a guarantee. You can't go changing your mind on me." 

"Heh." The corner of his mouth twitched upwards in an almost smile. "You're starting to sound like me. You know you’re not too terrible to talk to, Caulfield. I mean… not that I should. I’ve got a reputation to hold by… I think." He got up, sat his empty coffee mug on the desk, and went over to a pile of dirty clothes in the corner of the room to pull a wallet out of a dirty pair of jeans. He rummaged through it for a bit, pulling out old receipts and small slips of papers, before showing me three cards and holding them in front of me. "What do you want? School ID, fake ID, or driver’s license. Can't really go without any of them for too long." 

I looked to the empty mug he had set down on the desk, his camera lying next to it. I smirked. "Give me your camera." I nodded to where it was. 

He chuckled. "You're pretty cocky aren't you, Caulfield. Too actually think I'd give you my baby." Nonetheless, he went over to the desk, quickly replaced the memory card in the camera, and gave it to me. 

I stared at the camera in my hands. "I was joking. Really."

He gave me a perplexed look. "You'd joke with Nathan Prescott?"

"When he's acting like this, yes. When he's being an asshole to everyone on campus, no. But somehow I feel those are two different people. Don't you?"

"Maybe. Anyway keep it." He gestured to the camera. "That should more than guarantee I'll show up tomorrow. Plus, I interested to see what kinda shots the amazing Max Caulfield takes." 

I nodded and put the camera carefully into my bag. "Hopefully I don’t disappoint.” I got up from the couch and made my way to the door. “Well, I should probably get going then." As I went to reach for the doorknob, I realized I was still holding the mug in one hand. I set it on the desk before leaving with a small nod to Nathan which he returned. 

The coffee had grown cold. 

⁃ 

The Two Whales Diner was one of the few decent place to grab a quick bite to eat in Arcadia Bay, and the fact that it was right on the water was an added bonus and great photo opportunity. Chloe texted me just minutes after I left Nathan's room, inviting me to breakfast and hang out. Craving more time with my best friend than we got yesterday, I was more than game. I'd just have to be careful about concealing who I was with earlier that morning. 

The diner looked almost exactly how I remembered it, with its metallic exterior and large windows. The inside was welcoming and warm, with fresh coffee brewing and the regular clings of plates and silverware hitting against one another. Hustling around from table to table was a familiar face: Joyce Price. Chloe's mom was honestly one of the best things about the Two Whales. Whenever you needed someone to talk to, she was always there to provide her support. With her hair pulled back in a tight bun, she looked exactly as I remembered her. 

"Joyce!" I called to her over the bustle of the regular patrons. 

She turned in her heels from cleaning off a booth. Her eyes crinkled and her lips curled upwards as she recognized my face. "Max? Oh, honey how are you? It's been too long since I've seen you. I could hardly tell it was you, you've grown so much. How'd Seattle treat you?" 

"It was great! So many photo ops in the city. How's Arcadia been without me?"

Her smile flattened. "This town... It's been getting worse recently. I'm sure you heard about the shooting at the school, didn't you?"

My cheerful expression faltered. "Uh-Yeah. Jeesh... A shooting so close to home. I'm just glad no one got hurt." 

"Scary stuff. It almost makes me happy Chloe doesn't go there anymore. Anywho, Max, that's enough of my babbling. I’m sure you’re here to meet up with Chloe and I’ve got plenty of work to do around here. She usually sits at that booth by the far window. Just call me over when you’re ready to order, hun." 

I exhaled sharply once she walked away to help another patron of the diner. I made my way to the booth and took a seat, looking out the window at the Main Street of Arcadia Bay. Being back in town was strange. Everything had a familiar and homey feel, and yet it was also distant and changed. Like I had missed something important when I was in Seattle. 

"Don't think too hard, Max. You look like you’re contemplating murder." Chloe's voice pulled me abruptly out of my thoughts. She was leaning over the table towards me. I didn't even realize she came into the diner, let alone sat down across from me. 

"Sorry. Long day... I mean yesterday was a long day. A weird day."

"You got that right. Shit's gone mad crazy in this town since Rachel left." Chloe slouched back into the booth and took one of the menus to examine, even though she had to know the whole thing front and back. 

I looked down at my own menu, contemplating whether to get Belgian waffles or a nice stack of buttermilk pancakes. Rachel... I vaguely remembered the name from a poster I saw in the school hallway. What was it about? 

Chloe waved over Joyce and quickly gave her order of eggs and extra bacon. Joyce smiled and told her that she'd better be prepared to pay this time. "And for you, Max?" 

My eyes looked down to where I had been deciding. "Uh..." I did a quick eenie-meenie-miney-mo and got the pancakes, with extra whipped cream on the top. 

Once Joyce had left I looked at Chloe and asked, "Who’s Rachel? I think I remember seeing that name on a poster or something around school." 

Chloe's expression grew a bit sad as she reminisced on the past. "Rachel is a girl I hang out with. Or at least we used to hang before she decided to ditch town without a word... She was awesome, Max. You would have loved her. Everyone loved her. We were gonna leave this damned town together and go to one of the big cities so she could model for some big shot agency and I could be like her bodyguard or some shit like that. Hell, you could have been our photographer! Then one day, she just disappeared. She didn't even bother to leave a note... Max, I know this sounds lame but I think something happened to her. Maybe something bad." 

There was a pause in the conversation as I mulled over what she said. "You wanna find her, don't you?" 

"Of course I do, Max! She's my best friend! Well, apart from you that is. I mean... You were gone for so long and-" Chloe's voice trailed off as Joyce brought out our food. There was a tinge of sadness in my heart as we ate and talked about Seattle and what it was like. Chloe was right. I was gone for so long… too long. 

I hadn’t missed something; I had missed someone. 

-

"Wow. This is freaking cool, Chloe!" I jumped down from the window frame of the tiny shack we were in. It was located in the junkyard for no apparent reason. The walls were covered in graffiti and posters of popular bands: marks left by a past Chloe and Rachel from when they used to chill here. I was happy that Chloe showed me the place, but I also felt like I was intruding. This was their place, not our place. 

"Well, duh. Only the best of the best for us pirates, you know!" Chloe swung around the door and walked over to the train tracks at the edge of the junkyard. I followed, pulling Nathan's camera out of my bag to snap some shots of the inside of the shack. I'd have to remember to transfer them to my laptop before returning it to him. 

When I got to the train tracks, Chloe was balancing on them like a kid pretending they were on a tightrope. I pulled out my own camera and snapped a photo of her with the sunlight streaming behind her. Something like that couldn't be taken digitally. It was unique and precious, a moment captured in time that could not be replicated. 

She pulled me on to the tracks to walk with her. Our hands were clutched tight to each other as we walked forward, wavering with each step, and supporting one another to make it further. A soft breeze drifted lazily past us and for a moment, I wished that time would just stop. 

Chloe slipped, letting go of my hand, and landed on her butt, right as we heard the distant whistle of an oncoming train. I got off the tracks and went over to where she fell, reaching out a hand to pull her up while stifling my laughter at the same time. Only, she didn't get up. 

"Shit, Max! My foot is stuck!" There was a growing panic in her voice as the sounds of the train came closer and closer. I knelt down quickly and started tugging at the stuck shoe. It loosened little by little, but not quickly enough. We could hear the train coming right around the bend as Chloe was finally able to free herself and we jumped away from the tracks. 

My heart was beating fast and my breathing was ragged. "Holy shit." I stood up and looked at Chloe. She looked up at me and quickly changed her expression of fear to a cocky smile. 

"Death isn't gonna get me that easy." 

I hoped she was right.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am shit. I am shit at updating and writing. I apologize. I don't think this chapter makes up for the lack of anything from me... but please accept it.
> 
> TW: Suicide Attempt.

The gleaming sun, reflected off bumpers and beer cans of the junkyard, mesmerized me. As Chloe smoked the dying butt of a cigarette, I twirled around like a child, watching as everything shimmered around me. I stopped suddenly, trying to maintain my balance, and closed my eyes. Moments like these were impossible to capture within a single picture. I could try, but I honestly don't think I'll ever fully succeed. 

Suddenly the clatter of aluminum cans hitting the ground pulled me out of my trance. "Fuck..." Chloe muttered under her breath, flicking her cigarette butt into a pile of junk cars. "What the hell do you want?"

Frank Bowers, Arcadia Bay's local drug dealer and general fiend, came out from behind a stack of dilapidated vehicles. "Thelma and Louis, hanging out in a junkyard in your free time, reminds me of myself at your age." 

"Shut up, Frank. I'm nothing like you, scum" Chloe jumped off the car she had been resting on and made her way towards Frank. 

He smirked, a cruel glint gleamed in his eye. "Sure you are, hyped up on drugs, broke as hell, and in debt more than you'd like to admit. Now pay up, bitch, before I get angry."

"I'll pay in time, just cut me a break," Chloe spat back at him.

"Oh yeah? And what am I supposed to take as collateral? How about your little posse there," Frank said, pointing in my direction. A leather bracelet hung down from his wrist, catching Chloe's attention.

She grabbed his wrist in one swift movement and jerked it towards her. "Where did you get that? That's Rachel's bracelet! Where the fuck did you get that?" Chloe was furious. 

"Chill, it was a gift. Why do you care?" Frank pulled back but Chloe grabbed him quickly by the arm. He instantly reached for a pocket knife in his jacket at pointed it towards her with his free hand.

"Wait!" I screamed. Suddenly, everything was quiet for a moment. Both Chloe and Frank seemed to realize just how close they were to a bloody fight, and took a few steps back from each other. 

"Fine. I expect my money on Friday, or I'm coming for you." Frank turned and waved with the knife still in his hands. "And I'd thank that new bitch you keep around for bringing me to my senses. Wouldn't want security guard daddy after me." 

There was a strained silence as we watched Frank walk away from the junkyard, hunched over like he always had something to hide. Once he was out of sight, I turned towards Chloe. Her face was red and she was obviously pissed. "Dammit, Max. I could've taken him! The one place I can go to chill and that fucker shows up. Come on. Let's head back." Chloe picked up a rock and threw it hard at one of the cars. It ricocheted off, nearly hitting a blue bird. She didn't notice. 

I cleared my throat as we made our way back to the pickup. "So... Uh... How do you know, Frank?" I asked gently while we made our way back to her pickup. 

"Well the obvious answer is that the guy is the only dealer in town. But, that's not the only reason I know him." She sucked in a breath. "Rachel knew him. We hung out a couple times. Got drunk, spread havoc all over Arcadia. It wasn't all that bad. Then I made the shitty mistake of borrowing money from him. We just... we needed to get out of this damned town. She deserved better than this shit hole."

-

Chloe dropped me off at Blackwell with the promise to meet up tonight to officially start our rookie investigation into where exactly Rachel Amber was. We figured her school files would be a good place to start, since they might give us an idea if anything was happening within the school that Chloe didn’t know about. I also wanted to take a look at Nathan’s record while we were there too. Just out of curiosity. And perhaps slight concern. 

Warren texted me to meet up with him at the science lab where he was doing some extra work since we had the day off. I honestly didn’t think it was necessary since he was already a top student, but agreed to help him anyways. We had plans to make dinner in the dorm kitchen with Kate that night, but she hadn’t texted me recently so it would give me an opportunity to ask him if he’d heard anything. When I got to the hallway with the chem lab in it, however, I ran into Kate, making her way, teary eyed, out of the building. I started to wave but she walked past so quickly that my hand only made it a few inches above its normal resting position before she was gone. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a very frustrated and even angry looking Mr. Jefferson was glaring at her for a moment before returning to the photography lab across the hall. I wanted to run after Kate, but figured it might be a better idea to just let her cool off for a bit and mention it gently at dinner. Or at least that’s how I hoped things would have turned out. 

Warren was thoroughly engrossed in his textbook when I got to the chem lab. One hand hastily jotting down a few notes about the different chemicals he had laid out before him. I cleared my throaty, hoping he’d look up without accidentally causing a chemical combustion. Regardless of my intentions, Warren still jumped a bit as he realized he wasn’t alone. Apart from Ms. Grant grading papers at her desk, the room was completely empty. I took it most students didn’t feel like coming in for the recommended study.

“Hey, Max. Almost gave me a heart-attack there, but no worries. I’m totally good.” Warren gave me one of his classic smiles. 

“I’m sure you are. Whatcha doing? Finding a way to make the chicken for tonight grill faster?” 

“I wish. I’m already starving and it’s still two hours till we said we’d meet up with Kate. Actually, have you heard anything from her recently about that cause I texted her earlier and she hasn’t gotten back.” He looked to his phone as if he was hoping she would magically reply in that moment just to prove him wrong.

“I was going to ask you about that. I saw her in the hallway for a split second but she didn’t look too good. This shit about that damn vortex party has really been getting at her. Knowing the way her family operates, they probably haven't been the most supportive bunch either. I hope she's okay.” I picked up a pencil lying on the lad table and began twirling it between my fingers. 

“I wouldn’t worry too much. I mean, it's Kate. She's not going to let something this small take her down. She probably just needs some time to cool down before dinner. That’s when the real heat is coming. You know what they say: can’t take the heat, then get your friend to cook her awesome grilled chicken and potatoes for you! Or you know, something like that.” 

“You know, Warren, I am partially convinced you just pretend you can’t cook so that Kate will do it for you.” I dropped the pencil and looked over the lab table to the page the textbook was open to, mindlessly reading the words. I hoped he was right. I hoped Kate would just let this slide.

“I wish I could cook half as good as you and Kate. To be honest, even the cafeteria food is better than my cooking. And that’s pretty bad.” We both made a face at the statement. There was nothing more horrendous at Blackwell than the cafeteria food they tried to serve us. It was the reason so many students just went to the Two Whales whenever they could for a decent meal. 

“I hope to God you're lying about that. Anyways, what are you blowing up today, madman?”

"Just your mind," Warren said while making some dumb gestures that represented my mind being blown to bits. 

"Okay, that was bad. Really bad." I shooed away his hand. 

"Bad joke noted. I'll be sure to use it every time I see you now." He flipped a few pages in his textbook and pointed to a short list. "I've got everything else. Just need this food coloring to make it look cool. Wanna grab me a pretty one?"

"You brought me here to pick out some colors? I know I'm in the art department, but really. Low blow," I raised my eyebrow at him.

He blushed a bit before answering. "Well, I really just wanted someone to talk to. It's pretty lonely in here."

"Ms. Grant's here." I gestured towards the desk where she had been, only to find that she had left while we were talking. "Or not. Okay, point taken." I walked over to where the chemicals were kept and picked out a blue food coloring. It reminded me of Chloe.

"Here you are, fine sir," I said, handing Warren the small bottle. 

"Thank you, madam. Now just this and a drop of this and-" BOOM! 

Someone had slammed open the door right as Warren's experiment began to fizz up. Zach was standing in the doorway, breathless and panting. "Dorms..." he sucked in a sharp breath. "Kate... She's on top of the dorms... She's gonna jump!" 

-

My mind went blank. My feet were moving, but I couldn't quite comprehend why. I just knew I had to get there. I had to save her. I had to save them all. But who were they? Why did they need saving? What had he done to them? 

A crowd was forming in front of the dormitories. Students and professors were murmuring to one another, pointing to where Kate stood, deathly close to the edge of the roof. Some people were crying, others just blinked in disbelief. Everyone seemed afraid to move, as if a slight disturbance in the air would push Kate straight to the ground. 

Across the crowd, I caught his eye. Nathan was staring right at me. No. He was moving towards me. I glanced quickly back to Kate just as he grabbed my arm and began dragging me towards the dorm. Before I knew it, we were inside through a back door, racing up the staircase, hand in hand. At the top, Nathan stopped and turned towards me. He quietly pulled something out of his pocket and pressed it into my hand. It was small and cold, the key to the roof. 

"Please..." His voice was faint. 

I clutched the key for a moment in disbelief before racing to the door and jamming it it. 

"Kate!" I screamed as loudly as I could, racing towards her as she turned to see where the noise was coming from. I grabbed her into a hug, falling backwards onto the rooftop, tears blurring my vision.

"Max?" Kate was crying. "Max, why?" 

I squeezed her tighter, determined to not let go. "Because you're my friend and I love you. Kate, I couldn't bear to lose you."

"But... It just hurts so much. Everything hurts so much." She buried her face in my chest, hot tears wetting my shirt. 

"No one understands. Everyone hates me, Max. My family, my classmates, everyone." She choked back sobs. 

I pulled her face gently towards mine. "I don't. Kate, I love you. You're one of my best friends. I could never hate you." Like I had turned on a faucet, Kate threw herself towards me, sobbing loudly. 

I heard the creak of the roof door open behind me and then heavy, quick steps. Principal Wells made his way towards us, followed closely by some EMPs. After a few minutes of coercing her, we were able to get Kate to agree to go to the hospital. I held her hand as we made our way to the ambulance, squeezing it tightly and promising to visit her as soon as I could. 

"I promise to bring some of the chicken we make, okay? It won't be as good as yours, but it has to be better than hospital food." I smiled warmly at her, wishing i could go to the hospital with her for support. 

She gave me a weak smile back as the EMPs took her pulse and blood pressure. "Promise," she whispered hoarsely before the doors shut and the ambulance rolled away. 

As soon as the ambulance was out of sight, Principal Wells grabbed me tightly by the arm and practically dragged me to his office. When he opened the door, Nathan was already there.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember when I said I would update this more often? Yeah... I'm sorry that I am such a terrible updater. I tried to make this chapter a bit longer to make up for it. Thanks as always to BariSaxiGinger for being my beta reader!
> 
> TW: Gore and Blood

“I need an explanation. Now. How were you able to get on that roof, Miss Caulfield?” Wells stared down at me with beady eyes. David Madsen leaned against a cabinet in the corner of the room, scribbling notes onto a yellow legal pad. One my right, Nathan slouched in a velvet chair with a numbed expression on his face; on my left, Mr. Jefferson stood, rigid. “You were caught trespassing on school property and I want a proper explanation.”

My mouth was dry; my throat was hoarse. “A proper explanation? Are you kidding me? Kate was about to jump! I ran to save her. What more explanation do you need?” My hand clutched the edge of his desk. How could they ask such a stupid question? I saved Kate. Wasn’t that what mattered? What did I do wrong? 

“No, Miss Caulfield,” Wells retorted. “We need to know why you had the key to the roof. Did you know Kate was planning this little display? Perhaps you even put the idea in her mind? Gave her a copy of the key?” 

I was flabbergasted. “Little display?!? How insensitive can you be?” I jumped out of my seat, ready to tear a new one into Wells, when Nathan grabbed my arm and pulled me back. I fell back into my chair with a thud.

“I gave it to her! I found the key on the ground next to the outdoor storage shed and figured someone should put it to good use. Kate McJesus wasn’t going to listen to me any time soon, so why not Caulfield? Now can I go? I have better things to do than this pathetic interrogation.” Nathan practically flew out of his seat and out the door. 

Before the door could slam shut, Mr. Jefferson ran after him. “Nathan!” I heard him yell before the door shut again.

I fidgeted in my seat. Why had Nathan stood up for me? The air in the room was still.

Principle Wells grunted. “You get what you needed David?”

“Yeah. Gonna go back to the station and write up the report now. Probably won’t get far with the Prescott kid involved though. See you tomorrow.” David Madsen left after glaring at me for a moment. 

Wells nodded at David as he left. “Well then, Miss Caulfield, I believe we are done here. You may go back to your room.”

“Sure.” My voice was barely above a whisper. As I closed the door to his office, my phone buzzed. Nathan had texted me.

Nathan: You okay?

I stared at the message in shock. Not only had Nathan stood up for me against Wells, but he was asking if I was okay? Something felt off, but at the same time I didn’t mind it. Nathan wasn’t really bad when he was being nice. Or… At least when he was trying to be nice. I texted him back on my way to the dorms.

Max: Yeah… You? Kinda stormed out.

Nathan’s voice came from behind me on the stairs. “Wanna find out?” 

Scared by the sudden voice, I tripped and started falling backwards. 

“Oh shit.” I heard the scuff of shoes on linoleum and suddenly Nathan’s arms were around me, stopping my fall. We stared at each other for a moment, eyes locked, close enough to feel each other’s breath. Blood rushed to my face with embarrassment. Nathan coughed and let go of me once I had my footing. “Damn, Caulfield. Didn’t think it’d scare you that much.”

“Sorry! I wasn’t expecting someone to pop out of nowhere!” I took a couple of steps back, realizing how close together we still were. “What happened back there? Jefferson ran out after you.”

Nathan’s face darkened. “I... You should stay away from him.” 

“Huh?” I asked, but Nathan had already left.

-

“Dinner for two coming right up!” Warren said in a singsong voice as he went to open the oven. He was trying to keep the mood light, but Kate’s absence hung between us.

“I didn’t know you were such a 5-star chef, Warren. Maybe you should be the one cooking more often.” I smiled, trying to keep up the facade that everything was okay. I needed something constant in my life, and right now, Warren was my constant. 

Warren’s blush was obvious. “Oh it nothing, just some quick shake and bake, you know? Gotta have some basic cooking skills in this world.”

I grabbed a couple of bottles of water we had put in the freezer to chill while we cooked. “Guess I’m living off ramen after school then. Anyway, anything is better than what they serve at the cafeteria. Plus after today, I could use a simple, home cooked meal. Bon Appetit!” 

I cut off a piece of the chicken and put it in my mouth without waiting for it to cool. The heat burned my mouth beyond being able to taste anything. I blinked back tears from the heat. 

Warren picked at his food a bit, waiting for it to cool like a smart person would. “So... What do you think will happen? To Kate I mean.” He stared down at his chicken like it was inscribed with some secret message.

I swallowed my piece of chicken, the burn making its way down my throat. “I don’t know... but Kate’s strong. She’ll make it through this and probably be back in class before long. Trust me.” I prayed I was right. 

“I just wished we had seen it coming. I mean isn’t that what friends are for? Dammit. We should’ve noticed.” Warren stabbed a piece of his chicken angrily with his fork. 

“Hey...” I choked up. I didn’t know what to say. I should have noticed something was wrong. I should have been there for her. I looked down at my plate, no longer hungry. 

Warren reached across the table and squeezed my hand. I looked up at him. He was smiling despite what he had just said. “It’ll be okay. We know now. What to look for I mean. She’ll be okay.” He sounded more as if he was convincing himself than me, but it was what I needed to hear. 

-

After tossing and turning for hours, I finally fell asleep, but my dreams didn’t let me get much rest. 

I was in the meadow again, soft grass brushing against my skin. Something was off though. The doe and buck were gone and the dark forest from before was larger somehow, like it was closing in on us.

Us. Someone was with me. Standing with their back to me, breathing slowly... steady. They were warm, comforting even. Our breathing, our hearts beating were in time with one another. I felt their hand searching for mine and held it. It wasn’t strange, holding hands with this stranger. Instead, I felt at peace, like the calm before the storm. The storm. A crack of thunder rolled its way to my ears. 

“Don’t trust him.” The person whispered to me. I knew the voice. I knew his voice. 

I let go of the figure’s hand and turned around to face him. “What?”

Nathan’s body was rigid, almost as if he were one of those crappy cardboard. “Nathan?” I reached out to touch him. His body was cold. 

“Don’t trust him,” Nathan repeated, turning to look at me. His eyes were filed with pain, like he wanted to say more but couldn’t. Blood dropped down from a bullet wound in the middle of his forehead. Before I could comprehend things, his body began to disintegrate in front of me. I grabbed at him, but there was nothing. 

I was alone, and the darkness was closing in on me.

-

I woke up to my phone buzzing with a text alert. I hadn’t bothered setting an alarm since students were sent an email last night saying that classes were yet again canceled, and had been planning on sleeping in. My phone screen read 6:38 am. So much for that plan.

Nathan: Breakfast at 2 Whales? Class canceled. 

I hesitated to respond. I know we had agreed to meet up and discuss things, but at this point, I didn’t know what was happening anymore. I sighed. Nathan knew more than I did, and I needed his help. No. He needed my help too. 

Max: Sure. Be there in 30. Gotta wait for the bus. 

I was throwing on a random t-shirt from my closet when he replied. 

Nathan: I’ll drive. Parking lot in 5

I rushed to the bathroom to hastily brush my teeth. Right before I left my room, I remembered to grab Nathan’s camera off my desk. I had a feeling he wouldn’t talk if I forgot it. 

Part of me couldn’t believe I was actually going to the parking lot to meet up with Nathan Prescott. I knew that I needed to talk to him, but it still felt wrong. Another part of me screamed that I had finally snapped and was going for some scummy drug deal. The morning air was cold, hitting me in one large gust. 

Nathan was leaning on the back of his red pickup when I made it to the parking lot, blowing out a puff of smoke from a cigarette. He tossed the butt when he saw me and motioned his head for me to get in on the passenger side of the truck. 

Don’t trust him. Nathan’s words from my dream played over and over in my head. Did he mean himself or someone else? I guess I was about to find out. 

I pulled open the door and crawled into the pickup. Nathan started the truck and pulled out of the student lot. “So... did you even sleep last night?” I said jokingly, trying to break the awkward silence between us. 

Nathan glanced at me then back to the road. We were halfway to Two Whales Diner before he responded. “No, not really.”

“Oh. Well, umm, that must’ve sucked.” I let out a nervous laugh. 

“You don’t say?” Another pause. “Sorry. I didn’t realize the time when I messaged you.” He rubbed his eyes. He really did look exhausted. 

We didn’t talk again until Nathan pulled into the parking lot of the Two Whales. He turned to me after cutting off the engine. “You did bring my camera right?” 

“Nah. I thought I’d just have you drive all the way here to tell you I forgot got it.” He didn’t laugh. “Bad joke. Got it. You’re camera is in my bag.”

He let out a halfhearted chuckled. “You... tried.” 

I thanked my luck when we walked into the diner and Joyce wasn’t working. The Prescotts weren’t the most liked people in town and I knew her opinion of them wasn’t very good. I was also worried that if she saw me with Nathan Chloe would somehow find out. It was wrong in the first place that I was going behind my best friend’s back like this. The thought of it made my stomach churn. 

Nathan picked a booth in the corner of the dinner, secluded from the rest of the diner’s usual patrons. We didn’t talk to each other again until a waitress came by with our food. Chocolate chip pancakes for me, a Belgium waffle for Nathan. He asked her to bring a pot of coffee to the table and then leave us alone until we were done. It was almost as if this was a normal routine because the waitress just nodded her head and left without question. 

I dug into my pancakes, not realizing how hungry I was. I really hadn’t eaten much with Warren last night. Nathan did the same, and before I knew it we had piled the plates at the edge of the table, nursing our separate cups of coffee. 

“So...” I started, unsure of what to say. I took a sip of the coffee. I had diluted it with 4 packets of sugar, but it still had a bitter taste.

Nathan sighed deeply. “I-” He stopped and took a drink of his coffee like something was caught in his throat. “I don’t know how to do this alone anymore.” The words finally spilled out of his mouth.

I was confused. “Do what alone?” I asked the question before I could stop to think. Nathan looked so broken, and I didn’t know how to help him. 

“There’s... something bad going on in this town. You- fuck. You can’t tell anyone. Okay? If you do... shit, I don’t even know anymore. I just don’t want anyone else to get hurt.” Nathan was tripping over his words, as if something horrible was tugging at him, telling him to remain quiet. 

“I promise,” I blurted out. “Whatever it is. I just want to help you. I don’t know why but- I need to or else- I have this horrible feeling that something bad will happen if I don’t and I’ve been having these dreams that feel almost too real and you were in one of them and there was this storm in another and I don’t know what to think anymore and-” The words spilled out of my mouth.

Nathan’s face scrunched up in concentration. “Dreams,” he whispered under his breath. “Come on, we need to go somewhere. I need to show you something.” Nathan left some money on the table for our bill and got out of the booth. 

I hesitated for a moment. Was I really doing this? Following Nathan Prescott to who knows where? I swallowed the last of my coffee and stood up. 

Nathan didn’t talk until we were back in his pickup. He turned towards me and stared straight into my eyes. “The dreams,” he paused. “I have them too and no matter how hard I try... You always die in them.”


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year! As a sort of gift, I have decided to write a series of one shots that take place four years after this series! It is called Take as Prescribed and it listed of Part 2 if you are interested in some CaulScott fluff. Many thanks to BariSaxiGinger for being my beta reader and helping me work on adding emotion to dialogue in this chapter~
> 
> TW: Dark Room Photos

I didn’t know how to respond. Nathan had dreamt about me dying? My mouth felt dry. “You— I—” There were no words to explain the swirl of emotions I was feeling. A silence fell between us. 

Nathan cleared his throat. “Sorry,” he apologized. “That came out rather, umm, harsh.”

I sucked in my breath. “It’s was just a bit sudden. That’s all. I mean…” I didn’t finish my sentence. How was I supposed to respond? I stared out the window at the blur of trees as we passed. “Where are we headed anyway?” I attempted to change the subject.

“My house.” Nathan’s responded bluntly. His eyes remained fixed on the road.

“Oh.” I sounded more surprised than I had meant to let on. “Umm… Why?”

Nathan glanced at me. “There’s stuff there that you need to see. It-” He let out a tired sigh. “It will help things make sense.” Nathan pulled into a hidden driveway off the side of the road.

Another pause. 

After a couple minutes of woods, the trees backed away to reveal a clearing. Nathan pulled in front of a lavish country-style mansion nestled away from society. “Woah,” I whispered under my breath as I took in pure white siding and large front windows. It was like a home straight out of a storybook. 

This time Nathan actually turned towards me. “I’ve been having them for a while. They just started one night. A couple weeks after you showed up at Blackwell. Shit-” He stumbled over the words. “That sounds so creepy.” He turned back and got out of the car. 

I followed, but kept staring at the house in front of me. It had a large front porch and more windows than I could count. Off to the side, a stone wall surrounded the entrance to the back yard. It was definitely a display of Prescott wealth. 

“I’ve been having the dreams since a couple days ago. If it makes you feel better. Or well, you haven’t been in one until last night so I guess not really...” It felt like a failed attempt to make the situation less awkward. 

He gave me a halfhearted smile. “It kind of does actually. Guess we’re both fucked up.” 

Nathan walked towards a wooden door in the stone wall. He unlocked the door and held it open for me to walk through. If the front of the house was beautiful, then the back of it was a dream. A faux waterfall poured into a large pool in the backyard. The clear water showed rocks on the bottom clearly designed to imitate the appearance of a lake. 

“Your house is gorgeous,” I told Nathan in a voice barely over a whisper. I was in absolute awe. 

“If only it was actually as nice to live here as it looks,” he responded dryly, unlocking the back door and opening it. He gestured for me to enter. The door led into a huge kitchen, complete with a large island and custom-made stools set around it. Despite the glamor of it all, the kitchen was too clean, almost sterile-looking.

“Follow me,” Nathan directed as he started up a spiral staircase off the side of the kitchen. The staircase led to a large hallway with ornate paintings decorating it. Nathan opened a large oak door to the left of us and motioned for me to enter. 

Inside was an office lined with bookcases. The far wall was entirely composed of windows and a large redwood desk sat in the middle. “This is my dad’s office,” Nathan said. “My parents are away for the next couple days looking at real estate in Washington so we should be safe.” 

“Safe?” I questioned but Nathan ignored me. 

He started rummaging through the books that lined the shelves before pulling out a random anthology. He then put it back and repeated the motion twice. Pop! One of the bookcases was moved out of place: a fake door. Nathan disappeared behind the door for a couple minutes and returned with a manila folder.

“Got it. Come on.” He shoved the bookcase back into place and grabbed my hand, leading me into what I could only assume was his bedroom. A king size bed took up a large portion of the room and shelves filled with even more DVDs than his dorm room lined one of the walls. Another wall, much like the office, had large windows with cushioned seats underneath. Framed posters from a few different Broadway shows lined the walls. The light cream on the walls and homey decor felt too happy to belong to the Nathan I knew. 

He sat down on one of the window seats and patted the spot next to him. He turned to look me straight in the eye. “I need your full trust that you won’t tell anyone else about this. No one. Not even that punk bitch Chloe.”

I opened my mouth to argue with him about Chloe, but decided against it. Instead, I cleared my throat and with a hoarse voice responded, “Promise.” What was I getting myself into? 

Nathan hesitated before handing me the file. He was shaking. “Hey,” I touched his hand gently. Nathan swallowed hard and shoved the papers into my hand. 

I looked down at the folder and opened it. 

“Oh my God.” I gasped and dropped the file. It was filled with photos… Photos of Kate tied up and helpless. She looked so out of it as she gazed with dead eyes into the camera. I wanted to cry. “How- What is this?”

Nathan placed his hand on my back as tears began to fall from my eyes. “This-” He took a deep breath. “is what Jefferson does for kicks.”

I stared at him in disbelief, his image blurring as water filled my eyes. He got up and came back with a tissue box from the dresser. “Here.” He handed me a couple tissues to wipe my eyes with. 

“I-” I took a deep breath and forced down my sobs. “I don’t understand.” 

Nathan swallowed. “Jefferson… He takes the photos and then-“ He paused. “My dad sells them. Turns out, there’s a huge market for this kind of shit.” He threw the file to the ground. “Dammit. I shouldn’t have told you this. You won’t understand. You’re going to hate me.” 

I was going to hate him? What did Nathan mean? My eyes widened with realization. “You- you helped him… didn’t you.” 

Nathan was silent. He stared at the floor. 

“You- You asshole! You hurt Kate! You hurt other girls too! You—” I choked on my tears. I started to hit him but he caught my wrists. 

“Shh! I think someone’s here,” he quickly whispered. 

“Nathan? Are you home? Your truck is in the driveway.” A woman’s voice drifted up the stairs. Her heels hit the stairs with a loud clack. 

“Shit. Shit. Shit.” Nathan cursed under his breath. “Umm…” He quickly picked up the papers and shoved them into a dresser drawer. 

The voice was getting closer. “Nathan, you in there?” 

“Close your eyes!” He whispered hurriedly. I did as he said, too conflicted to register what was happening. “Just keep quiet, okay?” he commanded in a hushed voiced. Nathan sat down and moved closer to me. He cupped my face with his hand, covering it from whoever opened the door. His other hand went to hold my waist. 

“Nathan?” The door opened. “Oh- I was unaware that you had a girl over.” 

Nathan turned away from me and towards the woman. I looked down, stealing a glimpse of her. She was dressed in a pencil skirt and flowing shirt. Her dark red hair was blown into soft curls, framing her youthful looking face. Her eyes seemed tired though, like she hadn’t gotten a full nights sleep in weeks. They were a piercing blue, staring between me and Nathan. Her eyes looked so much like his own.

I blushed, realizing what Nathan was pretending we were about to do. “Mom,” he said as if it were a greeting, getting up from the window seat and moving a couple steps towards her. “Thought you and dad were in Washington.” 

“I can see that.” Her voice was sharp. It was obvious that I wasn’t supposed to be there. “Your father is still in Washington. I came home early for… personal reasons. Are you going to introduce me to your new girlfriend?” 

He gestured towards me. “This is Max. Max, my mother.” 

I stood up and went to stand next to Nathan. “Uh, hello Mrs. Prescott.” I was shaking with fear. What if she saw through us? 

She turned towards me and offered her hand. “Hello, Max. Dreadfully sorry that this is how we are meeting.” Her handshake was firm and cold. I wished I could just disappear.

She turned back to Nathan and I felt like I could breathe again. “You should know better than to bring a girl home without first introducing her to me and your father.” 

Nathan scoffed. “Like you’re ever home anyway.” 

A twisted smile formed across her face. “I’m sure that’s what you wished when you came over, isn’t it?” 

“Whatever, we’re leaving.” Nathan grabbed my waist and led me towards the door.

“Caroline? You find him?” Mr. Jefferson’s appeared in the doorway, blocking our exit. A sickening smile spread across his face. “Max! I didn’t know you and Nathan were so close.”

My blood ran cold.

-

I felt like the crushed velvet of the loveseat was going to smother me. Mr. Jefferson had suggested that we have tea together before heading back to school, but the knowing look in his eyes when he offered meant he really wanted to know why I was here. Nathan and I sat together in one loveseat; his mother and Mr. Jefferson sat in the other with a coffee table between us. They were a bit too close to be considered acquaintances or even just friends. 

Nathan took my hand in his, playing up the act that we were actually dating or hooking up or something. Jefferson had to be unconvinced, since he kept glancing at our hands and smirking. He cleared his throat and put on a questioning tone. “So, how long have you two been dating? I don’t remember seeing you guys together in school.” 

Nathan glared at him from across the coffee table. “Should teachers really be invested in their students’ love lives?” He spat at Jefferson like they were acid. 

Jefferson took a sip of tea and sat back. He was far too relaxed. “No, I suppose not. But I’m sure your mother is quite interested. 

“You know I don’t like it when you make assumptions like that, Mark.” Mrs. Prescott shifted in her seat. “Though I am rather curious. Nathan has never talked about you before; Max was it?” Her eyes boar into my skin as if I was a dead animal ready for dissection. 

Nathan squeezed my hand tightly and I had to resist the urge to look to him for answers. “Umm... well...” I struggled to find the words. “I’m new at Blackwell. I started this semester so... we haven’t known each other that long.” My heart raced in my chest. 

“We’ve been seeing each other for a couple weeks. I didn’t want to make it public since-” Nathan stopped himself short of insulting me. I knew what he was going to say. He couldn’t be seen with a “hipster bitch.” I was used to his insults by now, but they still stung. 

“I told him not to.” The words fell out of my mouth. “I don’t exactly think our friends would approve.” I stared at the floor. My head felt dizzy as I glanced at Jefferson. “Please don’t let on that you know.” The pleading tone of my voice made me want to puke. Nathan’s firm grip on my had was about all that was holding me back from jumping out of my seat and attacking Jefferson. 

Jefferson’s smile spread across his face until it looked like his skin would tear open with delight. “Of course, Max. I’m quite happy that Nathan has chosen one of my best students. I feel almost like a proud father right-” 

“I have a father,” Nathan stopped Jefferson short. Mrs. Prescott’s lips pursed but she remained silent. “We actually need to get back to campus. Planning for the party and what not.” He kept hold of my hand as he stood up from the seat.

“Um... it was nice meeting you, Mrs. Prescott.” I felt like I needed to say something else since she didn’t respond. Instead, she just stared at her tea, untouched in its cup “Your house is breathtaking. I wish I could have seen more of it.” It wasn’t entirely a lie. I did want to see more of the place, but not with Jefferson looming around the corner. 

Nathan’s mother cleared her throat and stood to be at eye level with me. “Thank you. Though I do hope this house isn’t what you find appealing about my son.” Her words cut like glass. 

Nathan’s jaw clenched. 

“You’re wrong.” The sound of my own voice surprised me. The words were harsh. I could feel everyone’s eyes on me but I stared at the ground. “I… He’s more than that. And I hate that no one seems to realize that.” I tugged at Nathan’s hand. “Let’s go.” This time it was me pulling him towards the door.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading the beginning to this fic! I hope to stay on top of this, unlike my other fics. May we fall in love with this problematic ship together!


End file.
